BENNINGTON — A local man is facing two sets of criminal charges which accuse him of leaving the scene of an accident that caused property damage on Feb. 7 and then again on Feb. 20.

Charles T. Batease, 46, of Bennington, pleaded innocent to all the charges on Monday in Bennington criminal court. In both cases, he was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and in one of the cases he was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

In the Feb. 7 incident, police said Batease’s truck was found abandoned on Route 279. The truck had apparently hit a highway sign and ripped it off its post.

Police said they tried to contact Batease on Feb. 7 and he didn’t return the call until Feb. 8. According to police, Batease said he lost control of his truck around 11:15 p.m. on Feb. 7 because the driver’s side tie rod broke.

The Feb. 20 incident also allegedly took place around 11:30 p.m. and also involved Batease allegedly leaving his truck after a crash. Police said the crash took place on Mechanic Street and that the truck hit a few mailboxes before being left in a ditch.

Police said Batease told them on Feb. 21 that he crashed because “something broke on his truck.”

Batease was released after his arraignment but he is under a court order that does not allow him to drive.